Ask the Author: Jem Matzan
Answered Questions (7)
Jem Matzan
Until this question came up here, I didn't think much about this topic, and now that I've considered it, I don't really like fictional couples. I tend to write about people who are uniquely alone; their relationships are short.
When I think of other people's stories, no particular couple stands out because I just don't get much enjoyment out of reading about other people's relationships, real or not.
In terms of audiobooks I've narrated, I'm going to go with a non-standard answer: Murray and Tommy from Tropical Depression. They're not lovers, but they have a unique bond through friendship. It's one of those great rare human experiences: being friends with someone who could not be friends with anyone else.
When I think of other people's stories, no particular couple stands out because I just don't get much enjoyment out of reading about other people's relationships, real or not.
In terms of audiobooks I've narrated, I'm going to go with a non-standard answer: Murray and Tommy from Tropical Depression. They're not lovers, but they have a unique bond through friendship. It's one of those great rare human experiences: being friends with someone who could not be friends with anyone else.
Jem Matzan
I wouldn't isolate one particular thing. This is just another activity or profession, and there isn't anything inherently more satisfying about it than there is about, for instance, carpentry. Where your focus and interest intersect, that's your art.
I can't think of any non-obvious advantage to being a writer.
I can't think of any non-obvious advantage to being a writer.
Jem Matzan
If I'm writing something work-for-hire, I have a list of topics or an outline to work from, so I don't get writer's block with those projects. If I've covered the topic sufficiently, then it's done. If there are topics or items that I can't get enough information for, then I'll remove them from the project until the resources are available. I think a lot of fiction writers do the same thing; they create an outline and fill in the blanks. I don't outline my fiction, though.
I have a lot of tactics for overcoming writer's block with fiction. If I feel intimidated by starting where I left off, I'll go back a few hundred words and read and revise, and by the time I get to the end, I often have the momentum to continue. I might also go back to the beginning and read and revise from there. Or I'll consult my notes file for ideas; it contains a list of ideas, lines of dialogue, character summaries, and revision goals.
I think we write stories to -- consciously or not -- solve some kind of problem or answer an internal question. The story uses elements from our experience to help us subconsciously develop solutions. So if you are truly at an impasse in your writing, then you need to fuel the fire by doing new things with your life. Even if it's going to a different grocery store, or finding a new route to the office, it's going to help you form new connections that will spur your creativity.
There is more to creating a book than writing the manuscript, though: marketing plans, internal and cover art, ancillary content (synopsis, pitch, promotional articles, etc.), character summaries, notes for revision. There is always some effort you can put into the project to drive it forward on those days when you just don't have the mental clarity to write in the manuscript.
I have a lot of tactics for overcoming writer's block with fiction. If I feel intimidated by starting where I left off, I'll go back a few hundred words and read and revise, and by the time I get to the end, I often have the momentum to continue. I might also go back to the beginning and read and revise from there. Or I'll consult my notes file for ideas; it contains a list of ideas, lines of dialogue, character summaries, and revision goals.
I think we write stories to -- consciously or not -- solve some kind of problem or answer an internal question. The story uses elements from our experience to help us subconsciously develop solutions. So if you are truly at an impasse in your writing, then you need to fuel the fire by doing new things with your life. Even if it's going to a different grocery store, or finding a new route to the office, it's going to help you form new connections that will spur your creativity.
There is more to creating a book than writing the manuscript, though: marketing plans, internal and cover art, ancillary content (synopsis, pitch, promotional articles, etc.), character summaries, notes for revision. There is always some effort you can put into the project to drive it forward on those days when you just don't have the mental clarity to write in the manuscript.
Jem Matzan
I'm not really sure what an "aspiring writer" is. I think that most people have a warped view of what a professional writer's career is like. It isn't sitting around writing novels all day and sipping coffee in Paris with artistic geniuses. It's writing for money. It is, first and foremost, entrepreneurship.
I've been a professional writer since 2002, and I've written newspaper and magazine articles, technical documentation, product manuals, several non-fiction books (under my name and other people's names), chapters for other people's non-fiction books, reports for various industries, scripts for shows, and a whole bunch of other things that aren't easily described. Writing novels is what I do for fun; it's the one area of my career that I am in complete control of, but it's a tiny sliver of my actual income as a writer.
So I guess my advice is: Learn to start, run, and manage a small business. Writing is your product, but your *job* is to find profitable clients (or readers).
I've been a professional writer since 2002, and I've written newspaper and magazine articles, technical documentation, product manuals, several non-fiction books (under my name and other people's names), chapters for other people's non-fiction books, reports for various industries, scripts for shows, and a whole bunch of other things that aren't easily described. Writing novels is what I do for fun; it's the one area of my career that I am in complete control of, but it's a tiny sliver of my actual income as a writer.
So I guess my advice is: Learn to start, run, and manage a small business. Writing is your product, but your *job* is to find profitable clients (or readers).
Jem Matzan
A dark satire about corporate life. It's almost done.
Jem Matzan
I'm inspired to write down summaries of stories, lines of dialogue, and ideas for certain scenarios. Mostly these come from creative problem-solving in everyday life. Something happens that evokes commentary -- something good, bad, funny, irritating, whatever -- and I'll automatically imagine a larger context around it. Sometimes that turns into a plan for a story, or a scene within a story.
Writing the actual book is something that I commit to spending time on. It's something I do to achieve a goal.
Writing the actual book is something that I commit to spending time on. It's something I do to achieve a goal.
Jem Matzan
The Hero is a story that I'd worked on for about 15 years, and it changed so much in that time that I couldn't trace it back to a single idea. The original plan never seems to have much resemblance to the final product.
One thing I can say about the final edition of The Hero is that, regardless of the details, I wanted to make it superficially exciting while offering a huge amount of depth. You can read it literally and it's a great story, or you can read into it and discover something much more profound. I specifically chose a first-person narrative because I wanted the reader to be in the same position as the protagonist in terms of interpreting the intentions and truthfulness of the other characters. If you take the main character's interpretation of everything at face value, then you're reading the story literally. If you think of the main character as someone who is easily manipulated because of his vulnerability and disability, and you pay close attention to the nonverbal communication that I spent years meticulously integrating into the book, then the story can go in several different directions.
Also, I wanted to create a totally neutral protagonist. There is nothing culturally or sexually revealing about the Captain. The Captain could be any race, gender, and sexual orientation. I really hate the fact that fantasy as a genre is the domain of the white man, and I wanted to make the story as accessible as possible to every reader.
One thing I can say about the final edition of The Hero is that, regardless of the details, I wanted to make it superficially exciting while offering a huge amount of depth. You can read it literally and it's a great story, or you can read into it and discover something much more profound. I specifically chose a first-person narrative because I wanted the reader to be in the same position as the protagonist in terms of interpreting the intentions and truthfulness of the other characters. If you take the main character's interpretation of everything at face value, then you're reading the story literally. If you think of the main character as someone who is easily manipulated because of his vulnerability and disability, and you pay close attention to the nonverbal communication that I spent years meticulously integrating into the book, then the story can go in several different directions.
Also, I wanted to create a totally neutral protagonist. There is nothing culturally or sexually revealing about the Captain. The Captain could be any race, gender, and sexual orientation. I really hate the fact that fantasy as a genre is the domain of the white man, and I wanted to make the story as accessible as possible to every reader.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more